Refrigerating apparatus



Feb. 25, A1930. N. B. woLcoTT REFRIGERATING APPARATUS Filed Feb. 8. 1927JM/mwa jfeelll T/Volco MMM fao

`Patented Feb. 25, 1930 UNITED STATES 1P.arri-:Nti OFFICE j 'NEILRwoLCoTT, or WASHINGTON, DISTRICT 'vor COLUMBIA, AssIGNoR -ro THERMO- ICECORPORATION, or AUBURN, NEW YORK REFRIGERATING APPARATUS' Applicationfiled February 8, 1927. Serial No. 166,662.

lorand'rapid in fo'peration'and more economical.

A; further Yobject ofthe invention resides in the production ofa'refrigerating apparatus ofithe'type specified which is extremelycompactand comparatively inexpensive in manu'- 15 facture, and 'inwhichfthe Condenser coil also serves as a` feed line for the refrigerantthereby reducing the cost of manufacture of the device as well asproviding. increased etliciency in 'operation as willilater appear. y

A further object of the invention consists f injthev .provision of anovel type of vdiifuser which facilitates absorption of the expandedgases byfthe weak .liquor after. refrigeration has taken place.` f lwith their attendant advantages will be apparent from the followingdescription when 'f 'taken 'int'connection with they, accompanyingdrawing; in which i 3o Figure 1 is avertical section through thecompleteapparatus; and 1 f i n irvFigure 2 is a plan view of the'diiuserwith y the major portion of the apparatus removed for thepurpose ofbetter disclosing the coristruction.l 1 -v 'f "Ais'hereinbefore statedone of the essentia features-of the. present invention resides inthe'provision of a comparatively simple vand inexpensive refrigerating.I apparatus of the still-condenser-absorber type andto this endtheapparatus is formed in a unitary construction. The 'numeral 1indicates a tank or receptacle closed at the `topand ybottom and 50`tions dividethereceptacle into fourcompart- ,v

Other objects ofL the-invention togethery ments 5, 6, 7 and 8, the uppercompartment serving as a combined still and absorber, the next lowercompartment 6 serving as a heat-` .ing chamber, the compartment7 beingadapted to serve as a condenser, and the lowest compartment 8 as areceiver for-the condensed gases. f

Connected into the top of the still compartment is a gas pipe 9preferably provided with a gage Qand with a check valve 10 although amanually operated valve'may be used in lieu of the check valve if founddesirable. Leading downwardly from the pipe 9-is a pipe- 11 whichextends into the condenser compartment 7 and is formed into a flat coil12 which leads thence as indicated by numeral 13 into the receivercompartment 8. A heater 14 is placed in the compartment 6 for operatingthe still or generator 5 and while they heater shown is of the coal oiltype it will be understood that a gas heater or any otherconventionalform of heater may be substituted therefor if found desirable.

Disposed adjacent the bottom of the still orv generator 5 isa plate 15ypreferably circular in outline and of substantially the same area as thebottom of the generator. This plate is provided with a plurality ofminute perforations 16 for the passage of the spent gases returning ffrom` the refrigerating coil through the ,pipe r1'? when the valve 17 isopen. It will be readily yunderstood by those skilledin the art that theminute perforations 16 in the plate 15 will cause the returning il gasesto be broken up into very small bubbles v which will the more readily beabsorbed by the spentliquor in the still. Furthermore, the stream ofsmall bubbles passing upwardly in the central portions of the generator5 will setup a circulation whereby the hot liquid at the `bottom 'of theygenerator will move upwardly while the cooler liquid at the vtop oftheV generator will move downwardly along the sides thereof and thus bein a position tomore readily absorb the spent gases entering through thepipe 17. By reason of this circulationof the liquid about the point ofmigress of the gas the eficiency of the generator is greatly increased.

In the ordinary.. operation of the generator it will be obvious that theammonia gas will assume a position at the top of the compartment 5, thena layer of steam just below, and i finally the liquor at the bottom ofthe still. Under a very rapid heating or distillation of the contents ofthegeneratorthere is ordinarily the liability of a small portion of thesteam forcing its way through the layer of ammoniagas at the top ofthestillandy pass,

ingV into'the pipeI 9. For thev purposeof avoiding this contingency aplate 18 'prefer'-4 ably circular in outline is attached by straps 19 tothe top of the still 5, and is spaced slightly below the entrance to thepi-pe9 thereby serving to prevent the escape of steam into thisVpipe/.should there be a. tendency in this ydirection dueto the toerapid heating of the contents iof the' still.

i Aceoling eircuit20 providedwith valves 21S and: .22 leads through.thegenerator 5 and is-provided'VA with a coil 23 located in thisgenerator; the coil continuing from the generator thraughpipe 24' to awaste pipe 25. The latter pipe a'lsoserves as a waste connection for thecenden'serzeompartment 7, entrance to which is contrelledpby; the valve21 in the cooling circuit abovereferred to.

, ylrttached'to thepipell kabove the coil 12 isa pipe 26 providedv withmanually operated valvef27.pxflhis lpipe 26 forms a part of thefeedlineff'or carrying the refrigerant to the refrigerating; icoi'l;thel otherpart of the feed line consisting of the coil 12 of thecondenser and the1`pip'ez1'31which. carries the 'condensate f intothereceiver 8." The operationof this part Y ot the device will-bedescribedpln connection with the operation ofthe complete apparatus. Inthe operationk of= the 'device' a partial vacuum islformedin' thegenerator 5. by applying apuinp'toanelbow/(not shown) in the pipe 9.Thefheater ltisithen set in eperation and the I gases anethenfdistilledover through the pipe 9'; when lsniiicient, pressure yis reached fwithin theigeneratoig the `gases passing through pipe 9jtepipe-11:andithefcoill2 where they are` con den'sedgdue to the passageoffcoolingiwater' 'around thi'scoil,y thevalve l21having been pre'-vieusly-epenedforfthis purpose; During this opeiqa-tion therk valve22,of course,A is closed. f

distilling operation is; completed and is desired tonpass theVrefrigerant 'tlrpugh ,the 'refrgerat'ng coil (not Shown)the'valveg21'remainsfopenso as topass cool- V ingwat'er arfound thecoil12 and the valve 27 opened thereby l:forming v'a feedI` line to the 'i`lr;atin(fcoill consisting Vof. the, pipe 13a-teit eine? llaa and-Pite-y 26-1 c, By this eeratcn it wi fbi@ ,apparent that the reffgf eratleaving-the r cever'S is further-cooled' '011 f its-:wayto the;refrg'eratinfg c01.;;4 This furthen leweringf the itemperatm?i of .the-refrigerantvwhichL is lbeingsI feet o1it;f' o'r4 :the purpose ofrefrigeration alloivsioi agreater 'expansion @f1 liquid .when -reachingtheL point of refrigeration thereby causing a much greatv Y erefficiency in the operation of the device. V

After the refrigerant has served its purpose the valve 17 is opened andthe expanded gases are returned through pipe 17 into the compartmentv5': which now serves-as an absorber. The gases being broken up inpassing y lthrough the apertures 16will therefore be readily 4absorbedby the spent liquor Within il tlieabso'rher 5.. It will be understoodhythose faniilia'rl with this type of apparatus that before the spentgases are returned to the absorber 5 the spent liquor contained withinthe absorber iscooled by means of water passing through the coil 23, thelatter being placed in communication with the cooling. circuit byopening'the'valve 22.1 Then the gases are reabsorhedwithin theliquorcentained within thestill-absorber 5 the processjust vdescribedmaybe repeated.

From the foregoing connection .with the accompanying drawings*.description takenin Y it will be apparent that I vhave devised anbestrenibodiment ofthe invention, butl do the patent statutes I havedescribed what 1 nowb'elieve to be the' not wish to be understoodthereby as limiting v myselfor thescope of the invention, as manychanges andmodifications may be made without departing from the spiritofthe inven' tion ;r.all such aimtoincludeiin the scope of the appendedclaimsnf What Irfclaim as new and'desirje tol secure byfLettersPatent'fis: Y

V1'. refrigeratingapparatus includinga Y cylindrical receptacleconstructed and ,ar-L

rangedfz-to provide,A an upperk generator com- ,p'artm'ena yalower:condenser: compartment f l .and 'a receiver;compartmenhagas pipe leadingfromthe top of the generator and formed intoiacoildnthecondenser;.compartment and leadingthence to they receiver;compartment.,

't 2'.: A refrigerat'ing'apparatusl including a` Asingle 1r receptacleconstructed and'V arranged to` providea generatorpcompartment, acondenser Acompartment and fa receiver', compartmenttsagasvpipe@lea'dingjglfromthe top of the'generator. compartmentl downwardlyand inwardly andfforinedlinto: a coil in the con.- denserficbmpartment,said coil terminating in a' pipelealin'gintothe-receiverf compartment. 1

f A refrigerating apparatus including a l generator, a condenser and areceivenwater f l ceiver to a; vrefrigerating coil.

cylindrical" receptacle constructed and arranged to provide an uppergenerator compartment, a lower condenser compartment and a` receivercompartment, af gas pipe lead* ing from the top. of said generatorcompart-l lmentand formed into a coil in the condenser compartment andleading thence to the receiver, and valved water cooling circuitsleading through said generator and said condenser. I n y n 4. Arefrigerating apparatus including a cooling circuits leading ythroughsaid generator and condenser, a gas pipe leading from said generator andformed into a coil in the condenser and leading thence to the receiver,and a valved feed line tapped to said .gas

pipe between its connection with the gen- Y erator and the coil, wherebythe coil may serve as a part of the feed line from the re- 5. Arefrigerating apparatus including ya cylindrical receptacle divided intothree cylindrical receptacle, a plurality of parti-y vtonsin said.cylindrical receptacle to. form y vertically arranged compartments,means asvertically arranged compartments, means within the topcompartment to provide an absorber, means within another compartment toprovide a condenser, said third com- ,partment serving as a receiver.

6. A refrigerating apparatus including a sociatedwith the topcompartment to provide a'still or generator, means associated withanother compartment to provide a condenser, said third compartmentserving as a receiver.v i f f 7. A lretrigerating'apparatusk including acylindricaly receptacle, a plurality of parti` tions in said cylindricalreceptacle to form y vertically arranged compartments, means associatedwith the top compartment to provide a generator, means associated with-another compartment to provide a condenser, i

a heating apparatus associated with a third compartment, Vand anothercompartment serving yas 'a receiver.

y 8. In a refrigerating apparatus of the class described, a generator',a pipe having its ydischarge end ydisposed adjacent the bottom of thegenerator for returning spent gases thereto, a perforated diffuser platedisposed above said pipe so as to cause a circulation of the gasesupwardly in the center y'portions of the generator and` downwardly alonglthe sides thereof, saidplate being substantially flat at its centralportion and having a continuous downturned flange at'its edge.

NE1L B. woLcoTry

